Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-09-08
SHOT by A PLAYMATE.
Playing for Three Hours with n
Bullet I'm HIS Skull.
Philadelphia Times.l


Six-year-old Lawrence Kennedy, a
hard-headed little youngster, whose
parents live on Thirteenth street below
Nicetown lane, Nicetown, came home
to supper last evening with bullet in
his skull. The child ran to his mother
and laughingly told her that his play
mate, Tommy Palmer, who is one year
older, and who lives on Fayette street
below Nicetown lane, had shot him in
fun. He seemed none the worse for
the wound. Palmer came home with
him and told how the shooting occur
red.
The boysvisted the stable of William
Petermap, who is young Kennedy's
grandfather, on York road, near the
lane, early in the afternoon. Peterman
is n watchman in brick-yard and he
carries small four-barrelled revolver
in his vest pocket. Little Lawrence
saw his grandfather's vest hanging on
the NALL of the stable. 1t was hanging
out of his reach, but he knew the
pistol was in the pocket and he and
Tommy got a stepladder and climbed
up to It. They got the pistol and de.
termined to hunt sparrows.
Palmer took possession of the wea
pon, and he playfully pointed it at his
companions head. 1t went of and
the bullet, which is about the size of a
pea, penetrated Kennedy's forehead
half an inch above the left eye. Young
Kennedy did not even fall, but clapped
his hands over bis head and said :
couch Tom 1; you hit me.
He began to cry, but Tommy drop.
ped the pistol and undertook to soothe
him.
He FORGOT HE WAS SHOT.
Lawrence soon dried his tears and
forgot oil about his wound, although it
was sufficient to knock down an ordi-
nary man. The bullet had struck the
frontal bone directly over the eye and
lodged there, leaving a small hole,
from which tricklcd a few drops OF
blood. The little fellow wiped the
blood from his face with his shirt sleeve
and went on playing.
II was 8 o'clock when the shooting
occurred, but the children left the
stable, taking with them the revolver,
and roamed out into the meadows.
They fred off the remaining three
chambers and romped about until .
o'clock. Then they started home for
supper. Lawrence was afraid his
mother would whip him when she heard
that he had taken his grandfather's
pistol, so he persuaded Tommy to ac-
compasy him home.
The lad had no sooner made his APP
pearance at the sgpper-table than Mrs.
Kennedy noticedthe wound and asked
him how it occurred. She almost
tainted when little Lawrence innocently
told her that Tom Palmer had shot
him. She questioned Tommy and he
acknowledged that the pistol went off
in his hands while he was playing with
it. and he surrendered the weapon.
Mrs. Palmer ran ont of the house and
notified Officer Lukens, OF the Nicetown
police sub-station, who was on his way
to roll-call.
officer Lukens hastily summoned
DR.. Howell, who examined the child
and sent for an ambulance. He wanted
to send the little patient to the Ger
mantown Hospital, but the child's pa
rents refused to allow him to leave the
house, and they sent for the family ply
sician, DR.. Castle, who came to the
house with DR.. Molfett.
,,r,,.pry,pyu n cAcu
The two physicians thought it was won
derful that the boy should play around
for three hours with bullet in his
skull near the base of the brain. They
put the child in bed and placed him
under the infuenceof laudanum. Then
they cut into his head and probed for
the bullet. 1t was firmly lodged beneath
the frontal bone, however, and they could
not extract it without danger of killing
the little fellow. They made several
efforts to draw it out without enlarging
the wound, but they failed, and the
bullet is still in the child's forehead.
A skilled surgeon from Philadelphia
will be summoned, and he will en-
deavor to extract the bullet. Tommy
Palmer was sent home in disgrace last
evening. He cried when he was told
that his young playmate might die.
he was not arrested, as his father told
the police he would be responsible for
his sons appearance when wanted.
The physicians are unable to say
whether or not the child will recover,
but they have strong hopes of saving
his life if inflammation does not set in.
They regard the youngsters indiffer-
ence towards his injury as remarkable,
and they say they never before heard
of any one who remained conscious
and unconcerned for three hours with a
bullet lodged at the base OF the brain.